Giving advice. Decision theory perspectives on sexual assault.

What entitles us to give general advice? This general question is explored here in the specific context of providing responsible advice to women on how to make decisions about possible ways of reducing their risk of sexual assault. An approach is advanced that is a combination of decision analysis, used to provide a formal characterization of decision situations, and behavioral decision theory, used to provide a descriptive characterization of how people perceive those situations. The approach is illustrated with a set of studies using three diverse groups of women; a group of men, paralleling one of the groups of women; and a national sample of sexual assault experts. The approach is evaluated in terms of its feasibility, its strengths and weaknesses relative to alternative approaches, and its implicit position on broader political and philosophical issues.